The Hands-on Museum

Clay tablets - Scrolls - Codices: How old are our books?

Foto: Klaus-D. Sonntag

Books are one of humanity's most important cultural assets. But when did books first appear in their current form? What did people write on before, and what kind of writing instruments did they use? There are plenty of unusual things to discover on the thousand-year journey from papyrus scrolls to bound books!

Activity: In the museum gallery you can try your hand at writing hieroglyphs with a reed pen and rushes as a way of getting to know earlier writing cultures. We also present monastic inscription (which was written using goose quills) and allow you to make stone-age drawings with natural earth pigments.